Escherichia coli, when undergoing
cellular division, is using a means of asexual reproduction
because there is no transfer of genetic material; the bacterium
is merely making an exact copy of itself (watch out for the attack
of the Clones!).
This is the most prevalent form of reproduction for
E. coli.
The individual bacterium begins this process by elongation of
the cell, followed by almost exact replication of the
genome so
there are two identical
copies. Mutations
and mistakes may happen during genetic replication, but normally
these occur in small numbers and don't have a large effect on
the bacterium. A
septum is
formed,and
the cell equally divides the cellular components and one copy of
the parental genome gets placed in each side of the cell.
The cell divides, leaving two copies of the original bacterium
called daughter cells.

bacterial cells via
a specialized type of fimbriae called sex pili (also known as
conjugate fimbriae).
This is NOT
sexual reproduction because there is no fusion of gametes
present. is more infrequent than cell division, but it allows
for a means of genetic diversity between bacteria, and the
possibility of beneficial adaptations
such as antibiotic resistance.
E. coli that contain an fertility factor
(F+)
know as a
plasmid
undergo conjugation by first copying its genome. This
bacterium is called the
donor. It then releasing an
enzyme
that

contains a "mating signal", showing that it is ready for genetic
transfer. This mating enzyme
attracts a bacteria that doesn't contain the fertility factor (F-).
This bacterium is the recipient.
The donor E. coli bacterium connects the sex pilus to the
recipient bacterium, and injects the plasmid. Once the
pilus is disconnected, the transfer stops.